EDWARDSVILLE — A Glen Carbon man could get natural life in prison after a jury Thursday found him guilty of the first-degree murder of a 5-year-old boy on his birthday.

The case hinged on whether defendant Tavon Ludy, 27, knew a punch in the chest was going to cause the boy’s death, but a prosecutor said Ludy had to know that a punch from a grown man to a little boy would cause death or great bodily harm.

“You don’t get to kill a 5-year-old boy and come into court and say, ‘I’m too stupid to know it would kill him,’” Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Mudge told the jury.

Ludy was convicted of killing Torian Whitaker, as well as aggravated battery of his 7-year-old brother, Zajamin.

Mudge pointed out that an expert, Dr. Raj Nanduri, told the court that the punch would have caused death almost instantly, yet Ludy made eight phone calls as the boy laid dead on the basement floor before dialing 911. Even then, Ludy feigned ignorance about whether the boy was breathing, she said.

Nanduri testified the punch must have landed within a split second between heartbeats. She said such deaths are very rare, but her official finding was homicide. She said such injuries are caused by blunt objects moving at a speed of between 20 and 50 mph.

Mudge said the circumstances show that Ludy knew that he had caused the death.

“He (Torian) was told to get up. He was taken to the basement, placed on a cold, hard floor, where he lay there, dying, and it was 10 minutes before anyone dialed 911,” Mudge said. “A grown man hits a 5-year-old boy; you know it’s going to cause great bodily harm.”

She also pointed out that Ludy made a call from a squad car, slightly after he was arrested. “I’m going to jail,” Ludy said over the phone. She also pointed out that Ludy offered many variations on his story during a recorded police interview and that he lied because he knew he had committed a murder.

The normal sentencing range for murder is between 20 and 60 years, but there could be an enhancement to natural life if the state decides to pursue that course. The penalty for aggravated battery to a child is between two and five years in prison.

Ludy was indicted Oct. 24, 2013, on two counts of first-degree murder. One count alleged he intended to kill or do great bodily harm to the boy, and another count alleges he knew the punch created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm. The first count was dismissed, so the jury only had to consider the second count.

Defense attorney David Fahrenkamp said the jury should consider what his client was thinking at the time of the blow. He claimed the heart stopped because the blow was struck at just the wrong time. Just a split second made the difference, he claimed. His client could not have known that, he argued.

He referred to Dr. Nanduri’s testimony in his closing argument. He urged the jury to ignore the emotional nature of the crimes and stick to the facts without sympathy, as the law states.

“He had to land the punch within a very small window of time, and he had to know that death is going to happen,” Fahrenkamp argued. Without the knowledge, there would be no crime, he argued.

Circuit Judge Kyle Napp ordered a pre-sentencing investigation. She ordered Ludy back t the Madison County Jail, where he has been held since the murder.

Ludy, formerly of the 2100 block of Rose Knoll Lane, also is charged with aggravated battery to a child. In that charge, he was accused of injuring the older boy by striking him several times with his fist. The alleged murder happened Sept. 29, 2013. The beatings to the older boy happened between Feb. 1, 2013, and Sept. 29, 2013, the state claims.

State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons said he is proud of prosecutors Mudge and Kathleen Nolan, as well as the officers who did the investigation.

“Our team fought for justice for these two little boys, and today, that hard work paid off. We can now move on to sentencing so that we can remove this violent monster from our community, so he can never again harm another child,” Gibbons said.